Banoffee Cake (easy recipe)

Ingredients

This recipe is my favorite banana muffin turned into a cake. Sort of. It's very easy to make because it has oil so there's no need to soften butter and beat until creamy. 

For the cake

• Bananas: make sure they are soft and with brown spots. This will ensure the best possible flavor. I like to mash them with larger pieces to give the cake more texture. 
• Vegetable oil: use a neutral type such as sunflower oil.
• Vanilla: I use pure vanilla extract or pure vanilla paste when available, but a good vanilla essence (artificially flavored) also works and is infinitely cheaper. 
• Cinnamon: any ground cinnamon you normally use works fine. I like Frontier Vietnamese cinnamon and Simply Organic Ceylon cinnamon. 
• White granulated sugar.
• Egg: fresh, large.
• All-purpose flour.
• Baking powder and baking soda: are used as leaveners to help the cake rise, so make sure they aren't expired. 
• Salt: I like using kosher salt or fine sea salt when baking. But regular table salt works just fine.

For the toppings:

• Heavy cream or heavy whipping cream.
• Powdered sugar: also called confectioners or icing sugar, you can easily buy it online. Domino powdered sugar is a very popular one.
• Dulce de leche: use the thicker type labeled 'repostero'. I always use dulce de leche repostero Vacalin. 
• Semisweet chocolate shavings.

Dulce de leche filling

The second layer is this milk jam that I personally love and is the easy answer to the caramel layer found in the original banoffee pie.

There are two types, regular and pastry dulce de leche. The difference is in the consistency. And it's a BIG deal.

• Pastry dulce de leche: it's thicker and holds well in fillings and it's the one we use for this banoffee cake and the Alfajores recipe.
  Layer: you need to use what we call pastry dulce de leche, which is much thicker than regular. Otherwise, it won't hold and will run down the sides like a glaze. But I found that one of the most popular brands here in Argentina can be found on amazon - Vacalin dulce de leche Repostero (thicker confiture) and Veronica Dulce de Leche Repostero (thick milk jam).

Whipped cream

I have to confess that I'm not a super fan of whipped cream per se. But, as it happens with many other ingredients, when you mix it with the right flavors it creates a synergy. And we always want that when it comes to desserts, don't we?

• Choose a whipping or heavy cream that is fresh and good for whipping. I know that sounds obvious, but dairy products vary in the percentage of water content, among other things. The more water the less they hold and the easier they curdle in my experience.
• I never use light creams for this type of recipe because for me they don't have the right consistency or flavor.
• Sour cream or cream cheese: I add a few tablespoons per cup of cream before whipping. They give it more structure and it holds better for a couple of days. But you can omit it.

Kitchen notes

• Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperature, equipment, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
• Baking time: keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer(like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust. 
• Bananas: use very ripe, brown spotted ones. They are the ones that pack the flavor you want your banana cake to have. 
• Dulce de leche: you can easily buy it online. Use the thicker kind, dulce de leche repostero Vacalin. 
• Cream: it's a necessary ingredient and you can make it from scratch or you can buy those cans with similar stuff. Whatever you like works.
• Storing: it needs refrigeration if there are leftovers because of the whipped cream. Make sure you cover it to prevent the cake from drying out. You can freeze the cake layer and make the whipped cream a few days before you serve it. But this cake does not freeze well once it's assembled. 
• Serving: this cake is best served barely cold for the flavors to come through. Keep in mind that the cream must be cold to hold its shape so don't let it sit at room temperature for too long. And also, I recommend you not serve it straight from the fridge as the flavors won't shine.